ANC coordinator Levon Zurabyan stated during his last press conference that they would stir up the people in February. When journalists inquired why in February exactly, Mr. Zurabyan explained that they hadn’t decided it out of nowhere, they had made serious calculations and found out that the Armenian population was active exactly in February, because guest workers came for the New Year, they stayed for a while and still did not leave, meanwhile the people were busy with the New Year preparations, in a nutshell, February was the most appropriate time for a rally. However, as we know, the rally has been delayed. This time March 1 is fixed.
Today, Aram Manukyan, the Pan-Armenian National Movement (PANM) leader, assured that the reason for changing the day of the rally was cold weather, “I am still sick. We all caught a cold in Hrazdan, we are all sick. I have a temperature. We have really frozen. When I went to the electoral district in the morning, it was -26, I, my son, Davit Shahnazaryan, Arman, everyone is sick. Nothing has changed, there has been no motivation, believe me 10 days’ delay is not a loss for us.” We reminded Mr. Manukyan about Levon Zurabyan’s calculations and he responded, “There are people leaving, because of which the number will decrease, but I assure you there is a very important reliable source, the social tension, the price increase. Serious researches have been made from both within and without and in the international organizations, the main topic of Armenian citizen is poverty, price increase, lack of workplaces and emigration. Only during this period the prices have increased by 20%. So, spring is the season, when that influence on a citizen is more tangible, low wages, high prices of goods, poor condition after paying for electricity, gas. In this situation people’s anger is reaching the climax and that social tension brings people to the square.” In response to our observation that Levon Zurabyan had said that the climax was reached in February, their climax constantly changed, Mr. Manukyan said, “I am saying the same, my dear, 5 days don’t make any difference. February-March is the climax of the social tension and people’s activity.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
